This modern art exhibition poster for the Paris show Crimes et châtiments a l'imagerie is based on a design by Dudley Hardy (1867-1922) with added text by an unknown hand.

The image of a masked executioner was first created by Hardy for the 1897 British opera production of Yeomen of the Guard by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. The opera company founded by Richard D'Oyly Carte, who also built the Savoy Theater, commissioned Dudley along with the London print-makers Waterlow and Sons to publish the design.

Since its released, illustrators have returned to this sunset scene with sharp axe-wielding headsman for printed material and dramatic power.

Exhibition designers likely decided on this image for the ironic visual relationship between the exhibition title "Crime and punishment to imagery" and the illustrated act alluded to by the headsman's blade, which has already incised the composition.